Apparatus for treating metals.



G, A. GOODSGN.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING METALS.

APPLICATION FILED F3310, 1908.

978 448 Patented Dec. 13, 19M).

GEORGE A. GOODSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING 'METALS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 13,1910.

Application filed Febguary lo, 1908. SeriaI No. 415,068.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, Gnouon A. GooDsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at l\"linneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have, invented certain new and useful Im )rovements in Apparatus for Treating Metals; and I do hereby declare the follmving to be a full. clear, and exact description of the invention, enable othels skilled in the. art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is in the nature of a novel apparatus for producing an allotropic modification of metal.

The said invention is hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The accinnpanying drawings illust ate my preferred form of apparatus for carrying in y process into efiect.

In said drawings, wherein like notations refer to like parts throughout the several views; Figure 1 is a View chiefly in vertical central section through the entire apparatus, but. with some portions broken away and others shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a detail in left end elevation, with respect to Fig. 1, showing one of the parts detached; and Fig. 3 is a detail showing the inflow ,nozzle. detached, in plan view, with a portion broken a way.

The numeral 1 represents a suitable furnace, preferably adapted to the use of coal or coke as the fuel. and the numeral 2 represents the smoke flue of the same.

The numeral 3 represents a suitable melting pot which, as shown, is of such construction that it rests on the top walls of the furnace, with its body or bowl portion depending into the tire pot of the furnace, in proprr position to get the best eflect from the burning t'uel therein.

In the bowl of the melting pot is mounted a suitable pump. the cylinder of which is marked with the numeral 4, and the plunger thereof with the numeral 5. The pump plunger S'is showp'as connected to a power driven crank shaft (3 supported by a pedestal 7. The pump cylinder t has an expanded base which is rigidly secured to the walls of a well 8 formed in the. bottom of the melting pot 3. The intake to the pump cylinder is controlled by a steel ball check valve 9, and

the outlet from the pump cylinder ,i's controlled by a steel ball check valve 10. The

well 8 communicates with a discharge nozzle or outlet extension 11 formed mtegral with such'as will ,goose-neck form,

metal from near the bottom of tire mass 0 the melting 'pot 3, and this is detachably connected, by a pipe 12. with the lower end of a tubular casting 13 formed integral with a yoke-shaped supporting bracket 14. The upper end-of the tubular casting 13 is detachably connected by a pipe 15 with an entrance extension 16 formed integral with the melting pot 3, An inlet nozzle 17, of is rigidly secured to the inner wall of the melting pot 3 in position for the channel tl'ierethrough to register with the passage through the inlet extension 16;

and said nozzle 17 has a flattened mouth, as

shown in- Fig. 3, so as to deliver the metal therefrom in the form of a sheet.

The numerals 18,19 and 20 represent, respectively, the core, the high tension primary coil and the low tension secondary coilof a suitable alternating current step down transformer supplied with current from any suitable source (not shown) over Wires 21. -To one of the terminals of the secondary C-Oll 20 is rigidly secured a heavy -metallic bracket 22 which is bolted fast-at its upper end to the melting pot 3; and to the other terminal of the secondary coil 20 is rigidly secured the yoke-shaped metallic bracket 14- which has the tube 13 cast integral therewith, as shown in" Fig. 2. lead in the meltingpot 3 and reduced to molten condition .by external heat available from the furnace 1. transformer is turned on and the pump started into action.

In virtue of the construction and arrangement ot'the parts above described. it is obvious that when the pump is in action, the molten metal L will'be kept incontinuous circulation from the melting pot through the parts 11, 12,, 13, 15, 16 and 17, and that The while the molten metal is passing through the said circulating connections, the same will be closed into the electric circuit sup plied from the low tension side of the transformer.

L, or other metal to be treated, is placed- Then the current from the The step-down transformer is so con structed, with reference to the current avail-' able over the Wires 21, as to afiord-la current of low electric potential and great amperage. The pump draws its charge of molten the melting molten metal, whetherqin the circulating connections min the melting pot itself, is kept in continuous circulation the -mass in I circulation of the molten metal, under the action of the pump, it follows that all the j molten metal will be. sub ected over and over again to the electric current. electric current is of great amperage rel ti \e to the Moreover, this which it is applied, and therefore the cur- 1 rent is applied in such a. way as to be most effective on the metal.

in practice, I have usually proportioned f l the parts so as to render available a current of not. less than .1300 a'mperes to a cross .section of molten metal of three-eighths of an inch in the circulating connections.

The process and apparatus, hereindisclosed, was especially designed for the treatment of lead, or an alloy of lead and antimony, in order to produce suchoan allotropic modification of the "said metal as to adapt the same for successful use in plating iron and steel bodies, as set forth in my pen-cling applications b. N. 288,981 filed November anti, 1905; s. N. 268,230 and 268,231 both filed July 3rd, 1905; and S. N. 308,4:l5 and 308,46 both filed March 28th, 1906. I have found that by thustreating lead, or an alloy of lead and antimony, for a suflicient length of time, it becomes so modified that it can be successfully applied to iron or steel bodies whether in the form of Wire or sheets, and that it will permanently unite therewith. The said method and apparatus, herein disclosed. was also designed for use in forming an alloy of lead and Zinc which will be homogeneous and contain a sufficiently large percentage of zinc to make the alloy positive to iron, thereby affording a plating inetal of superior commercial qualities, as set forth in my pending application S. N. 361,829 filed March 11th, 1907.

While the invention herein disclosed Was especially designed for treating metal intended to be used forplating steel and iron bodies, it will, of course, it may be serviceable for treating other kinds ofmetal for putting the same into be understood that .-ondition for other uses than those above named. It will also he understood that the novel process or method, herein disclosed, may be applied by other suitable forms of apparatus.

.In respect to the apparatus, it should be noted that while the circulating connections for the molten metal, illustrated, are made of metal as described, and are themselves cmmected into the electric circuit, this is only a convenient means of rendering the attenuated mass 0t molten metal to f current available on the molten metal passing therethrough. The circulating connections themselves might. be made of some rcl'ractory insulating material, as long means were present for connecting the attenuated mass of molten metal, flowing! theretlrrough, into the electric circuit.

The tubular asting i3 is provided with removable plugs 23 opposite the adjacent ends of the pipes 12 and if). to allord access to the said pipe, for cleaning the same. when necessary.

What- I claim isz-- l. The combination with a melting pot and circulating connections of small hon outside the melting pot through which. the molten metal may be passed, a pump operative to force the molten metal continuously through said circulating connections, and means for subjecting said molten metal to an electric current while passing through said circulating connections, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a furnace, of a melting pot subject to the heat therefrom. circulating connections of small bore, out side the melting pot for said molten metal, a pump operative to force the said molten metal from the said melting potthrough the said circulating connections and back to the melting pot, and means for subjecting said molten metal to an electric current of large amperage while passing through said circulating connections, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence or" two witnesses.

GEORGE A. GOODSON.

Witnesses;

H. D. Krnconn M. E. Ronny. 

